Sony is to shut down its smartphone factory in China as it seeks to cut the losses of its mobile division. According to Reuters , the Japanese electronics giant will shift production from Beijing to its plant in Thailand later this month. The Thai facility will become Sony’s sole smartphone manufacturing facility, but the company will continue to outsource some production to contractors. Sony Xperia 1's cinema-like ratio screens Sony Xperia 1 early look Samsung closes china factory Sony China factory Sony is a minor player in the smartphone space, commanding a market share of less than one per cent, with Europe and Japan its main markets. It also faces the same challenges facing the rest of the industry, including longer product refresh cycles, a perceived lack of innovation, and a lack of new markets to exploit. However, Sony has continued to launch flagship devices, most notably the Sony Xperia 1, which was detailed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last mont...